Friday, January 16, 2009

Blue skies in January

Something about January leaves me uninspired to take photos. It's the second year in a row where my photo-taking has noticeably dipped. Maybe it's because things are so cold and uninspiring outside. Lots of dreary, overcast days.

So, this week, when the skies turned blue, I headed out over lunch to investigate a big, old Dutch-style windmill that I pass on the way home from work. It's in Mount Emblem Cemetery in Elmhurst, Ill.

We'd had a couple inches of fresh snow the day before, so I figured it would be really pretty in the cemetery. It was.

So, I parked my car, took a few minutes to adjust my camera settings and make sure my polarizing filter was clean, and I started tromping through the snow, looking for the best views of the windmill. It was freezing cold, single-digit temperatures, so I moved quickly and trusted my camera settings. Big mistake. Call it a learning experience.

Turns out, I accidentally set the camera on fully manual, instead of program mode, and all my photos turned out horribly over-exposed. Only this photo and two others were salvageable.

Pretty blue skies, right? But here's a hint, blue skies in the winter often mean the coldest weather, because it's too cold to hold much moisture in the air, or something like that. And when it's really cold outside, don't be in so much of a hurry that you forget to double-check your camera settings...

6 comments:

It's probably just the dreary weather that makes one non-inspired. Things will pick up in the spring. Cross your fingers. Occasionally, I get uninspired until I see other people's photos to get re-energized.

Even though it's been hideously cold here in Connecticut this week, I managed to get out with my camera on Monday and take some pictures at a local park and one of the dams in the area (I thought the ice formations were really cool!). I'm still learning with my Nikon but I think most of the pictures came out a'ight.

You're so right about the beautiful blue skies when it's cold and I think this shot is just great. Sorry to hear that the others didn't come out but that gives you the inspiration to go out and take some more pictures. Plus I think it's totally cool that there is a windmill in a cemetery!

The fact that my little point & shoot doesn't do well in all the gloomy days we've been having is what has kept me from taking a lot of photos. The sky in this one is so stunning though Haley :) Glad you captured it.

Successful blogs have a narrowly defined focus and are frequently updated. This isn't one of those. Nope, this blog is all over the place -- writing, travel, dogs, social, hobbies, you name it. And frequently updated? Don't hold your breath. But it's my blog and it makes me happy.

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